Fundraising Fox
Defy Partners
Venture capitalWoodside · Pre-Seed–Series A · 21 people tracked
Also known as Defy · DEFY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT, LLC
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Investment thesis
Defy Partners focuses on funding early-stage entrepreneurs it considers exceptional, prioritizing authenticity and tenacity over hype. The firm seeks founders capable of challenging the status quo and turning bold ideas into enduring companies. It aims to be a long-term partner of choice for founders, amplifying their success both publicly and behind the scenes, in the belief that a single transformative investment can generate industry-wide impact.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 29, 2026.
Team · 21 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 67 of 97 portfolio companiesSaaS ×35AI & Machine Learning ×33Enterprise Software ×21Fintech ×13Consumer ×10E-commerce ×8Healthtech ×8Developer Tools ×7
HQs:United States×47United Kingdom×2Germany×1Indonesia×1India×1Pakistan×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 39 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×142 founders×143 founders×74+ founders×4
Where their founders studiedfrom 50 founders with education data
Stanford University ×4UCLA ×4University of California, Berkeley ×4Harvard Business School ×3Indian Institute of Technology, Madras ×3Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×3The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) ×3Technical University of Munich ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 42 founders with field-of-study data
Computer Science ×13Engineering ×11Business & Management ×7Economics ×7Finance & Accounting ×4Life Sciences ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 51 founders with career history
Google ×4LinkedIn ×3Stanford University ×3Barclays ×2Brightcove ×2Geoblink ×2Microsoft ×2Mixhalo ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
5 founders hold a PhD · 9 hold an MBA (of 51 with degree data) · backed the same founder in 2+ companies: 2 founders
Investments · 97 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 52024 · 72023 · 32022 · 22021 · 52020 · 42019 · 42018 · 22015 · 12014 · 135 dated
Circle provides a full-stack platform for digital finance, combining blockchain infrastructure, stablecoins (USDC, EURC), and payment networks to enable borderless value exchange and financial access globally.
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3FintechNew York City, US
Jeremy Allaire(Founder)inPatrick Sean Neville(Director)Sid Yadav(Cofounder)inSean Neville(Founder)inP. Sean Neville(Director)Heath Tarbert(Executive Officer)in
Co-investors10T FundAccelalphabet angelsAlumni VenturesaVentureAxevil Capital+26 more
Nautilus develops proteomics technology to unlock the complexity of the human proteome for biomedical research and diagnostics.
BiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesSeattle, US
Sujal Patel(Founder & CEO)inParag Mallick(Founder & Chief Scientist)inMelissa Epperly(Director)inNicholas Nelson(Executive Officer)Subra Sankar(Executive Officer)inMatthew Murphy(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzMadrona Venture GroupAME Cloud Ventures
Wealthfront offers automated investment management, a high-yield cash account, financial planning tools, and mortgage lending to individual investors.
FintechSaaSPalo Alto, US
DANIEL CARROLL(Executive Officer, Director)inDaniel Carroll(Founder)inAndy Rachleff(Co-founder)inADAM NASH(Executive Officer, Director)inRICK FOREMAN(Executive Officer)inDavid Fortunato(Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director)in
Co-investorsAdam NashDag VenturesDivide by ZeroForerunner VenturesGraph VenturesGreylock Partners+12 more
Amby offers an AI assistant and knowledge base that helps operators, repair technicians, and equipment owners diagnose and fix machine breakdowns, and connects them with remote experts via smart glasses.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningSaaSSan Diego, US
Abhijit (Bobby) Bose(Founder)in
BoardAmiya Kumar Pathak(Director)
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D · $3.2M raise · filed Dec 2024
Genemod offers a lab management platform that combines electronic lab notebook (ELN), LIMS, inventory, and equipment tracking in one data model, with AI agents that plan experiments, execute protocols across connected systems, and generate audit-ready records.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechSaaSEdmonds, US
Jacob Lee(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inZachary Gut(Director)Michael Gregoire(Director)Jin Choe(Director, Promoter)Anil Arora(Executive Officer)
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsAmino CapitalDolby Family Venturesfutureland venturesLDV Partners
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Giadzy is a lifestyle and e-commerce platform founded by celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, offering recipes, entertaining and travel tips, videos, and Italian food and kitchen products.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechLos Angeles, US
Giada De Laurentiis(Founder)inEric Greenspan(Director)Ana Carolina Grabowsky Seiler C Guerra(Executive Officer)Lindsey Galey(Executive Officer)
BoardDerek Norton(Director)in
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBAM VenturesWatertower Ventures Management, Llc
Honorlock provides online exam proctoring services that combine AI-powered monitoring with live human proctors to protect academic integrity for educational institutions.
EdTechBoca Raton, US
ADAM M. ROTH(Executive Officer, Director)inELENA SOBOLEVA(Executive Officer, Director)inMICHAEL HEMLEPP(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDANIEL CANE(Director)JOANNE SCHELLER(Director)
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsOwl Ventures
RIVET's platform provides workforce management and communication tools for specialty contractors, enabling centralized dispatch of schedules, job assignments, and workforce notifications across field teams.
Construction TechEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSDetroit, US
Louis Gelinas(Executive Officer)inRyan Meitl(Executive Officer, Director)inAndrew(VP of Engineering)PatrickAdamRandy
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsAugment VenturesBrick Mortar VenturesDetroit Venture PartnersDraper Goren BlockchainMichigan RiseBAM Ventures+2 more
San Francisco, US
Brian Shin(Executive Officer, Director)in
Board seatNeil Sequeira· per SEC Form D · $3M raise · filed Apr 2020
Aircover is an AI-native platform for revenue and go-to-market teams that provides real-time in-call guidance, automated note-taking, conversation intelligence, and CRM syncing across sales, customer success, marketing, and customer experience functions.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech
Andrew Levy(Chief Executive Officer)inAlex Young(Chief Technology Officer)inDave Levy(Chief Business Officer)
Co-investorsf7 VenturesFlex Capital PartnersRidge Ventures
Airspace provides end-to-end airspace protection solutions for urban environments, critical infrastructure, large-scale events, and high-security zones.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeep TechDefense TechEnterprise SoftwareGovTech
Co-investorsDBL PartnersGranite HillHarbourVest Partners (Canada)Levensohn Venture PartnersScale Venture PartnersScale Ventures+2 more
Airspace provides time-critical and same-day logistics for urgent shipments, using a technology platform and a network of independent contractors to route, dispatch, and track deliveries with real-time visibility.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechIoTLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Jaz Banga(Founder)inNick Bulcao(Co-founder)Ryan Rusnak(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsMaC Venture CapitalQualcomm VenturesScale Venture PartnersSchematic VenturesTitanium VenturesPrologis Ventures
Apploi provides recruitment marketing and hiring software for healthcare facilities, including job board distribution, mobile-optimized applications, branded career pages, and candidate texting.
HealthtechHR TechSaaSNew York, US
Adam Lewis(General Manager, Talent and Workforce Management; founded Apploi)inChad Maron(Executive Officer)inJonathan Lake(Executive Officer)Daniel Freedman(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardDavid Kyte(Director)Tony Wang(Director)
Co-investorsEquitage Ventures, L.L.C.Maywic Select InvestmentsRiverPark VenturesSupernode VenturesUnderscore VCOurCrowd
Bazaar Technologies operates an e-commerce and financial services platform in Pakistan that connects households and businesses to products ranging from groceries to office supplies and electronics.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerE-commerceFintechFoodTech
Saad Jangda(Founder)inHamza Jawaid(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcrew CapitalAlter GlobalAmaana CapitalBY Venture PartnersIndus Valley CapitalNext Billion Capital Partners+6 more
Birches Health provides confidential virtual treatment for people struggling with gambling, sports betting, or trading addictions.
Digital HealthHealthtechMental Health
Cynthia Grant(Vice President of Clinical)in
Co-investorsAlleyCorpBlack Jays VenturesCistern CapitalCity LightGeneral CatalystHaystack+3 more
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Booment develops gaming products for the casino and gaming industry, with expertise in game design and digital gaming platforms.
GamingSaaSLos Angeles, US
Ross Richie(Executive Officer, Director)inStephen A. Murphy(Co-founder and CEO)Phil Barbaro(VP Finance)Dan Peate(Director)Paul Levitz(Director)Beth Goss(Director)
Co-investorsBettor CapitalVelo PartnersBetter CollectiveDreamcraftIGTKohala Ventures+1 more
Capchase provides AI-powered vendor financing for enterprise technology deals, acting as both the lender and the lending infrastructure with embedded software and its own balance sheet.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSCambridge, US
MIGUEL FERNANDEZ(Executive Officer, Director)inMiguel Fernandez(Co-founder)inLuis Basagoiti(Co-founder)inGuli Moreno(Co-founder)Przemek Gotfryd(Co-founder)inMiguel Fernandez Larrea(Founder)in
Co-investorsInvesco01 AdvisorsBling CapitalBoxGroupConstruct CapitalKibo Ventures+9 more
A mobile application that lets users photograph items to obtain insurance quotes from multiple carriers.
FintechInsurTechSan Francisco, US
Karn Saroya(Founder/CEO)inAnand Dhillon(Founder)inNatalie Gray(Founder/Design)in
Co-investorsATEL VenturesCota CapitalGeneral Catalystgumi IncSand Hill AngelsTribe Capital Firstlook+26 more
Craniometrix provides AI-powered care navigation and support services to help dementia patients remain at home while reducing hospitalizations for their families and caregivers.
HealthtechNew York City, US
Nikhil Patel(Founder)in
Co-investorsCathexis VenturesOlive Tree CapitalY CombinatorQuiet CapitalRebel FundRomulus Capital+2 more
cred.ai is a financial technology company offering a deposit account and the Unicorn Credit Card (and SIREN Card), with banking services provided through WSFS Bank.
ConsumerFintech
Todd Sandler(Founder)in
Co-investorsDarco CapitalValor Equity PartnersCoatue ManagementDragoneer Investment GroupDST GlobalGIC+6 more
CRED is a members-only app for credit card users in India that rewards timely bill payments with offers and premium experiences, and lets members manage multiple cards while tracking spending and credit scores.
ConsumerFintech
Kunal Shah(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlpha Wave GlobalAroa Venture PartnersCoatue ManagementFlucas VenturesGeneral CatalystICONYC labs+11 more
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software
Cole Cable(Founder)inNick Fiacco(Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsY Combinator
EGO AI builds conversational AI and voice agents designed to create human-like interactions, with a focus on emotional resonance and user experience.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerDeveloper ToolsSaaSSan Francisco, US
Vishnu Hari(Founder)inVishnu H(Founder)in
Co-investorsOrange CollectiveY Combinator468 CapitalAndreessen HorowitzBalaji RollingBoost VC+13 more
Elevate Security identifies high-risk employees within organizations and provides user risk intelligence to security teams.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaS
Robert Fly(Co-founder & CEO)inMasha Sedova(Co-founder & President)in
Co-investorsHacker.Capital LLCWebb Investment NetworkCostanoa VenturesFoundryShasta Ventures
Envoy provides a unified workplace platform that integrates visitor management, emergency management, digital signage, mailroom management, and space planning tools for organizations operating across multiple locations.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBrighter CapitalGraph VenturesHeartfelt CapitalInitialized CapitalMenlo Ventures+4 more
Eudia builds an operating system for legal teams that uses AI and digital twins to help legal professionals manage complex work and knowledge.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechCalifornia, US
Omar Haroun(CEO & Co-Founder)inAshish Agrawal(Founder)in
Co-investorsB3 CapitalEverywhere VenturesFirsthandVCFloodgateFrontline VenturesGeneral Catalyst+6 more
Field Day provides a platform for companies to manage community investment and employee volunteer programs at scale.
Enterprise SoftwareImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Co-investorsGround Game Ventures
Frigade provides an SDK and AI-powered platform for building product onboarding flows including checklists, tours, and announcements that adapt to product changes.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Eric Brownrout(Founder)inChristian Mathiesen(Founder)in
BoardGuillermo RauchArash Ferdowsi
Co-investorsY CombinatorCraft VenturesGeneral CatalystHawk Hill VenturesLa FamigliaMAGIC Fund+1 more
Fullscript is a clinical platform for healthcare providers to manage supplements, lab ordering, personalized care plans, and patient adherence within their existing EHR workflows.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & Fitness
Kyle Braatz(Founder)in
Co-investorsAscension VenturesHGGCLeonard GreenTwine VenturesAltas PartnersL Catterton
Haast is an AI compliance platform that reviews regulated content and communications before publication, continuously monitors live digital channels, and performs regulatory horizon scanning, all tuned to an organization's specific risk tolerance.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTech
Kunal Vankadara(Founder)inLiam King(Founder)in
Co-investorsAirTree VenturesAura VenturesBlack Sheep CapitalPeak XV Partners
HackerOne operates a platform for coordinating cybersecurity vulnerability disclosures and bug bounty programs.
CybersecuritySan Francisco, US
Jobert Abma(Co-Founder and Technical Advisor)inMichiel Prins(Co-founder & Senior Director, Product Management)inAlex Rice(Co-founder, CTO, CISO)inMårten MickosinKara Sprague(CEO)in
Co-investors1/1 CapitalNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Savano Capital PartnersValor Equity PartnersBenchmarkDragoneer Investment Group+4 more
Hakimo provides AI-based live security monitoring that acts as a remote alternative to on-site night security guards.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwarePropTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Sagar Honnungar(Co-founder)inSam Joseph(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsNeotribe VenturesRocketship.vcVertex Ventures Sea Management Pte. Ltd.Zigg CapitalVertex Ventures
Interface provides a platform that ingests, audits, and operationalizes procedures, standards, and compliance records for industrial operators, giving field crews mobile step-by-step workflows with AI verification and giving leadership real-time visibility.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLondon, GB
Thomas Lee Young(ceo)inAaryan Mehta(CTO)in
Co-investorsEntrepreneur FirstTranspose Platform ManagementPrecursor VenturesRock Yard Ventures
Jona provides an AI-powered gut microbiome analysis that interprets scientific literature to generate personalized health insights and recommendations for consumers.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthWellness & Fitness
Leo Grady, PhD(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesArgon VenturesCity LightConnecticut InnovationsKicker Venturesmark vc+3 more
Kredivo Group operates a digital financial services platform in Southeast Asia, primarily offering buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and instant credit solutions through partnerships with banks, merchants, and telecom providers.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerE-commerceFintechJakarta, ID
Akshay Garg(Group CEO and Co-Founder)inUmang Rustagi(Co-Founder and President Director (Kredivo Indonesia))
Co-investorsJungle VenturesMizuho Financial GroupCathay InnovationEnsemble VCGMO VenturePartnersNext Billion Capital Partners+3 more
Mastra is an open-source TypeScript framework for building AI agents.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Sam Bhagwat(Founder & CEO)inAbhi Aiyer(CTO)inShane Thomas(Co-founder & Chief Product Officer)in
Co-investorsY CombinatorSpark CapitalBroom VenturesGradient VenturesLombardstreet VenturesMoonfire Ventures+16 more
Mixhalo provides a zero-hardware system that streams live event audio directly to attendees' smartphones in real time, offering silent sessions, live interpretation, captions, transcription, and summaries.
ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentSaaSSan Francisco, US
Ann Marie Simpson(Executive Officer)inMichael Einziger(Executive Officer, Director)inMarc Ruxin(Executive Officer, Director)Chrystine Villarreal(Executive Officer)Ryan McIntyre(Director)in
Co-investors359 CapitalJude GomilaCowboy VenturesFounders FundFoundry
Monitaur provides governance and accountability solutions for AI models and systems to ensure responsible development and fair outcomes.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechInsurTechSector AgnosticBoston, US
Anthony Habayeb(Co-founder & CEO)inAndrew Clark(Co-founder & CTO)inMichael Herman(Co-founder & Lead Engineer)in
BoardDavid Verrill(Director)in
Co-investorsMTECH CAPITALPresidio VenturesStudio VCTechstarsCultivation CapitalHub Angel Investment Group+1 more
Mother Science creates biotech-based skincare products featuring Malassezin, a naturally-occurring molecule, for consumers seeking scientifically-validated beauty solutions.
BiotechConsumerHealthtech
Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger(Founder)inMichael Einziger(Founder)inMike Einziger(Founder)in
Co-investorsGreycroftH Venture PartnersHAWKTAILKarpReillyFemale Founders
MT Copeland offers online video courses taught by professional contractors and industry experts covering construction and building trades skills such as window and door installation, tiling, roof cutting, framing, and jobsite communication.
Construction TechEdTech
Co-investorsCollaborative Fund
MyCarrier is a software platform that connects shippers directly to carriers for less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping.
Logistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Co-investorsBAM VenturesGreycroftLerer HippeauNewRoad Capital Partners, LLC
Nook is a mobile app (iOS and Android) that converts users' cash into USDC via Coinbase and allocates it to DeFi lending markets so they can earn yield, with an average APY around 7.6% and no deposit minimum or lockup.
ConsumerCrypto & Web3FintechAustin, US
Kenzan Boo(CTO & Co-founder)inJoey Isaacson(CEO & Co-founder)inSohail Khanifar(CPO & Co-founder)
Co-investorsCoinbase VenturesReverieUDHC
Not Diamond provides an intelligent model router for coding agents that predicts which language model to use for each input, aiming to reduce inference costs while maintaining accuracy.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise Software
Jeffrey Akiki(Founder)in
Co-investors640 OxfordAmbush CapitalInovia CapitalKarman VenturesLoup VenturesNext Play Ventures+3 more
Novi provides verified product data and optimization services for CPG and retail brands to ensure their products are understood, trusted, and recommended by AI-driven shopping systems.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureE-commerceMarketing TechRetail TechSan Francisco, US
Kimberly Shenk(Co-Founder and CEO)inYashi Shrestha(Co-Founder and Head of Chemistry & Sustainability)in
BoardBrian Rothenberg(Director)
Co-investorsFelicis VenturesGreylock PartnersMSIVRedpoint VenturesTiger Global Management
Onsite provides digital pricebook software for HVAC distributors, replacing traditional Excel and PDF catalogs to help dealers access product details, find equipment matchups, apply incentives, and generate proposals.
Climate TechConstruction TechEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Sam Steyer(Founder)inGautam Jayaraman(Founder)in
Co-investorsY CombinatorClimate CapitalGlobal Founders CapitalGV (Google Ventures)Kleiner PerkinsMeritech Capital Partners+4 more
Patreon is a membership platform that enables creators to build communities, share exclusive work, and monetize their output through direct fan support, eliminating algorithmic dependence.
Creator EconomyMarketplacesSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jack Conte(Founder)inSam Yam(Founder)in
BoardDaniel Rimer(Director)inDick Costolo(Director)Goli Sheikholeslami(Director)Anne Raimondi(Director)
Co-investors1435 CapitalAccompliceAtelierCoatue ManagementCRV (Charles River Ventures)Deviation Capital+20 more
Find the best health insurance for pets.
Co-investorsEntrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)Remarkable VenturesRho VenturesRho Capital PartnersSlow VenturesStepstone Group
Perfect Venue offers event management software for private events, helping venues such as restaurants, breweries, and music halls handle client communication, proposals, payments, and workflows.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales TechSan Francisco, US
Matthew Walters(Director)Luke Hutchison(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardBrian Rothenberg(Director)
Co-investorsAmity VenturesContext VenturesMeritech Capital Partners
PerkUp is a global gifting and employee rewards platform that lets HR and marketing teams send premium swag, gift cards, and prepaid cards to employees and clients.
Future of WorkHR TechSaaS
An AI-powered answer engine providing accurate, trusted, and real-time answers to questions.
San Francisco, US
Andrew D. Konwinski(Executive Officer, Director)Dzianis Yarats(Director)Aravind Srinivas Lakshminarayanan(Director, Executive Officer)Aravind Srinivas(Co-founder & CEO)inDenis Yarats(Co-founder & CTO)
BoardPeter Sonsini(Director)
Co-investors1435 Capital359 Capital7BC Venture CapitalAccelAdvaita CapitalAIX Ventures+55 more
PocketSuite is a mobile business management app for self-employed professionals and solopreneurs to manage clients, scheduling, and payments.
ConsumerEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Yang Forjindam(Founder)in
Co-investorsFundersClubIT-Farm CorporationY CombinatorFCVCForum Ventures
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Prive offers subscription commerce software that lets brands run storefronts with customizable customer experiences, pricing experiments, and advanced subscription models to reduce churn.
E-commerceFintechRetail TechSaaS
Co-investorsAmity VenturesBling CapitalHalogen Ventures Management Company LlcXfund
Profasee offers an AI-based operating platform for Amazon sellers that coordinates pricing, PPC advertising, inventory, and catalog management through a set of autonomous "employee" agents.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceRetail Tech
PullRequest was a marketplace and platform for on-demand code review, connecting development teams with expert reviewers who checked pull requests for quality and security issues.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareAustin, US
Lyal Avery(Founder/CEO)in
BoardAnna Patterson(Director)in
Co-investorsFikaFundersClubY CombinatorFika VenturesFrialeGradient Ventures+4 more
PuppyGraph is a zero-ETL graph analytics engine that lets data teams query existing relational data stores as a unified graph model without a separate graph database or data migration.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsSaaSSanta Clara, US
Danfeng Xu(Founder)inLei Huang(Founder)in
Co-investorsEastlink Capital Partners
RE provides onchain access to regulated reinsurance, connecting pools of capital to real reinsurance treaties with verifiable premiums and fully collateralized capital deployment.
Crypto & Web3FintechInsurTechSan Francisco, US
Karn Saroya(Founder)inAnand Dhillon(Founder)inCliff White(Founder)inBen Aneesh(Founder)in
Co-investorsBlizzardEarl Grey CapitalElectric CapitalTribe Capital Firstlook
RetroFix is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that generates, tests, and manages automations by natural language description and connects 2,800+ applications.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSNew York City, US
Isaac Toscano(Founder)inDaniel Portela(Co-Founder, CTO)in
Co-investorsCollaborative FundY CombinatorAliaksandr HudzilinRomulus CapitalSBXi
Reveal Technology develops defense software solutions for warfighters, first responders, and military personnel.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense TechEnterprise SoftwareBozeman, US
William Garrett Smith(Executive Officer, Director)Garrett Smith(Founder)inJohn Laxson(Executive Officer)inRobert Parker Clark(Executive Officer)Andrew Dixon(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardKevin Mandia(Director)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBallistic VenturesBooz Allen VenturesNext Frontier CapitalContext VenturesShield Capital
Rocksalt is a LinkedIn engagement tool for B2B CEOs, founders, and subject matter experts that emails a daily digest of the most relevant industry conversations and drafts personalized comments so users can build visibility in about 10 minutes a day.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSRedwood City, US
Ajoy Sojan(Founder)
Co-investorsGaruda VenturesOperator CollectiveSilversmith Capital Partners
Securly builds digital safety and security solutions for K-12 schools to protect students and support educators.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEdTechSaaSSan Jose, US
Vinay Mahadik(Executive Officer, Director)Bharath Madhusudan(Founder)in
Co-investorsImagine K12Owl VenturesSalesforce Ventures
SendOwl is a platform for selling digital products—including media files, software, courses, and subscriptions—with flexible checkout options that integrate into existing websites and tools.
Creator EconomyE-commerceSaaSLondon, GB
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAUTHENTIC VENTURESCostella KirschGeneral PartnershipStripe
Senvo operates a platform that audits parcel shipments across carriers to detect overcharges, service failures, losses, and damages, then automatically files and tracks claims to recover money.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Co-investorsTwo Ravens
Extensiv (formerly Skubana) provides a warehouse management system (WMS) built for third-party logistics providers (3PLs), with tools for fulfillment automation, inventory tracking, labor analytics, and multi-location network visibility.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainRetail TechSaaSNew York, US
Damir Kunovac(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Rubin Chad(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalBAM VenturesPoplar Ventures
Somatus provides value-based, integrated kidney care and a congestive heart failure management solution for patients, providers, and health plan partners.
Digital HealthHealthtechMclean, US
Ikenna Okezie(Executive Officer, Director)inAlexander Houlday(Executive Officer)inStacey Queen-Pyndell(Executive Officer)Larry Renfro(Interim President & CEO)
BoardAnna Haghgooie(Director)Anthony Welters(Director)
Co-investorsFlare Capital PartnersOptum VenturesHealthQuest CapitalBlue Venture FundsLongitude CapitalRA Capital+7 more
Synthpop is a Patient Journey Orchestration Platform that uses AI agents to automate healthcare administrative workflows including referral intake, insurance eligibility verification, prior authorization, and patient communication.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechCambridge, US
Elad Ferber(Executive Officer, Director)inJan Jannink(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardIllana Stern(Director)
Co-investorsAnsa CapitalFlexcap VenturesInception Studio CapitalNewfund CapitalPage One VenturesPeterson Ventures+3 more
Titus is a payment processing platform that enables businesses on partner platforms to accept "pay at close" payments and traditional card/ACH transactions.
FintechMarketplacesPropTechSaaS
Co-investorsMaple VCSequoia Capital
Triller is a Los Angeles-based short-form video, social media and combat sports company known for the Triller app and TrillerTV.
Los Angeles, US
Pei Huang Shu(Acting Chief Financial Officer)Mark Carbeck(Triller's Chief Financial Officer)inWing-Fai Ng(Chief Executive Officer and Director)inBobby Sarneveshtin
BoardRobert E. Diamond, Jr.(Chairman and Director)Felix Yun Pun Wong(Independent Director)
Co-investorsEast West Ventures EWVEQUIAMRed Sails InvestmentSandalphon CapitalSommet ABThe Players' Impact+2 more
Verse.ai is a fully-managed, AI-powered text messaging platform that engages, nurtures, and qualifies leads through two-way SMS conversations on behalf of businesses.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSSales Tech
Avi Tal(Co-founder; Senior Director, Product)inDavid Tal(Co-founder)inDrue Hull(Co-Founder of Atlas; Head of Engineering)Mike Bills(General Manager)inDamien Swendsen(Head of Sales and Marketing)
WhyLabs provided AI observability and monitoring tools for responsible AI adoption, including platforms for data logging, privacy-preserving monitoring, and large language model oversight.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Co-investorsAI FundAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorAscend Venture CapitalMadrona Venture GroupBezos Expeditions
Wonderment was an order tracking solution that has been acquired by Loop and integrated into Loop's post-purchase customer experience platform.
E-commerceSaaSBoston, US
Jessica Meher(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsCRV (Charles River Ventures)Underscore VC
Yoast develops SEO software, including plugins for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Shopify, that provides real-time content analysis, AI-powered optimization suggestions, and readiness for AI-driven search discovery.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS
Joost de Valk(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAugust CapitalB Capital GroupBessemer Venture PartnersBlumberg Capitalboldstart venturesCathay Innovation+26 more
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Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Cozy ServicesAlmanaxArena ClubAvatar RoboticsBites AiBoom Sports, Inc.Champ AiChampAICrainsdetroitDelivery CollectiveDflDFL TechnologyFableFourthwallGridKOSHERCONftco UnblockedNoviReactor DataReactor Data (Formerly SoundCommerce)SafaraStudionowSwellThe FactualTiltVectorshift
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Exits · 11
4 IPOs · 7 acquisitions · showing 8CircleNYSE: CRCLNautilus BiotechnologyNASDAQ: NAUTWealthfrontNASDAQ: WLTHFableacq. by Everand (Scribd, Inc.)Priveacq. by RecurlyPullRequestacq. by HackeroneSkubanaacq. by Extensiv (3PL Central)The Factualacq. by Yahoo
Portfolio news
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Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 3
as of Jun 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defy Partners IIILPs: Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System | 2021 | — | -7.1% | 0.91x | 0.00x |
| Defy Partners IILPs: Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System | 2019 | — | 28.6% | 2.64x | 0.00x |
| Defy Partners ILPs: Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System | 2017 | — | 15.7% | 2.15x | 0.24x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Defy Partners made?
- Defy Partners has 97 tracked investments, 11 of which have exited, including 8 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Defy Partners invest at?
- Defy Partners invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Defy Partners's typical check size?
- Defy Partners typically writes checks of $3M – $10M.
- What sectors does Defy Partners focus on?
- Defy Partners focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, Media & Entertainment, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Defy Partners located?
- Defy Partners is headquartered in Woodside, US.
- Does Defy Partners lead rounds?
- Yes, Defy Partners leads investment rounds.
- Who does Defy Partners co-invest with?
- Defy Partners most often shares deals with BAM Ventures, Alumni Ventures, General Catalyst, among 254 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamDefy Partners Announces Kamil Saeid as Partner, Christa Quarles and Bryan Goldberg as Defy Sages and the promotions of Madison McIlwain and Purvi Shah | PR Newswire | wfmz.com
Madison McIlwain · wfmz.com
STARTUP ALLEY: Neil Sequeira (Defy Partners) + Stacey Bishop (Scale)
TechCrunch · Neil Sequeira
Tesla beat Ford because people are talking about it, says Defy Partners' Neil Sequeira
Neil Sequeira · cnbc.com
Tesla beat Ford because people are talking about it, says Defy Partners' Neil Sequeira
Neil Sequeira · cnbc.com
Defy Partners's Trae Vassallo on her tech investment strategy
Trae Vassallo · cnbc.com
Images
Co-investors · 53
General Catalyst is a venture capital firm operating as a partnership focused on company building and accelerating the growth of the businesses it backs.
Tiger Global Management operates public equity strategies (long/short, long-focused and crossover) and a private equity business investing in early- through late-stage growth companies across new and existing industries.
BAM Ventures is an early-stage investment firm made up of experienced entrepreneurs based in Southern California, backing founders building consumer-focused technologies, products, and services that transform commerce.
Madrona Venture Group is a venture capital firm that backs founding teams at the seed, early, and acceleration stages, with a focus on Seattle, the Bay Area, and beyond.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture capital firm that co-invests alongside lead VCs in startups, backing founders with capital and access to a large investor and operator community.
Tribe Capital is a San Francisco-based venture firm founded by former Social Capital members and operators that applies a data-driven, bottom-up framework to identify and back early-stage product-market fit. It is sector and stage agnostic, investing from seed to growth stage.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies.
GV (Google Ventures) is a venture capital firm that has invested in AI and machine learning since its early days, backing more than 100 AI companies across infrastructure, life sciences, and applications.
Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that backs technology companies building transformative products.
Greylock Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders building companies from inception. Its partners make only one or two new investments per year to focus deeply on each partnership.
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders, known for early investments including leading Twitter's Series B in 2008.
Gradient is a seed-stage venture fund focused on backing founders building artificial intelligence companies, providing hands-on support as builders and mentors.
▶41 more co-investors
Meritech Capital PartnersOwl VenturesUnderscore VCLightspeed Venture PartnersKhosla VenturesTechstarsNotable CapitalIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)UpHonest CapitalAcrew CapitalLerer HippeauM13General PartnershipCowboy VenturesBallistic VenturesMaC Venture Capital468 CapitalRocketship.vcCrosscut VenturesMassMutual VenturesAI FundMoonfire VenturesBrick Mortar VenturesZigg CapitalMSIVLong Journey VenturesStreamlined VenturesFirstMark CapitalNextView VenturesAntlerComcast VenturesTCVVoyager CapitalPitango1984 Ventures Management, Llcmuru-DH.I.G. Growth PartnersSoftBank CapitalKyber Knight CapitalAlpha EdisonVirginia Venture Partners
Firms observed investing alongside Defy Partners, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Defy Partners's recorded portfolio.
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Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that writes pre-seed checks and is backed by a community of founder and operator LPs.
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